'Saturday Night Live': 40th anniversary special planned for 2015

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NBC is planning a 40th anniversary special for its iconic show “Saturday Night Live,” scheduled to air Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015.

The three-hour program is expected to include both past and present cast members, along with special guests and musical acts from the multi-decade show.

“‘Saturday Night Live’ is an institution unlike anything else in television history,” NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt says in a statement. “The many brilliant ‘Not Ready for Primetime Players’ over the years is a who’s who of film and television comedy for the last two generations. The roster includes everyone from the iconic first cast in 1975 to household names ranging from Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Will Ferrell, and Adam Sandler, to Kristen Wiig, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers — to name only a few.”

Since the show’s premiere on Oct. 11, 1975, “Saturday Night Live” has been nominated for more Emmys than any other show (at 171) and has won more than any other show as well (40). Lorne Michaels has served as executive producer for the show broadcast live from Rockefeller Center’s Studio 8H for most of that long history.